In a typical EO satellite system, such as Landsat and satellite systems disclosed in WO02/018874 and WO03/040653, a terrestrial station having a computing server therein is required to receive raw EO images from one or more EO satellites, and then process the raw EO images to yield desired EO data that meet an end user's requirement. An individual EO satellite is communicable with the terrestrial station only if the individual EO satellite moves to a position in Space visible to the terrestrial station. Furthermore, the raw EO images can be processed on-ground only thereafter. It adds to delay for the end user to receive the desired EO data. In addition, a terrestrial communication network, such as a private leased line or the Internet, is involved in transmitting the desired EO data to the end user. It adds to a risk of security breaches during data transmission.
US2018/0167586 discloses a satellite system having one or more satellites for imaging the Earth with raw EO images processed by computing processors on-board the one or more satellites to give desired EO data that meet requirements of an end user. Although the delay for obtaining the desired EO data by the end user is expected to be shortened, the desired EO data are required to be sent to a terrestrial station first and then delivered to the end user. The risk of security breaches is still present. Furthermore, failure of the terrestrial station due to any disaster, such as power failure, blocks the end user from obtaining the desired EO data unless a redundant terrestrial station as a back-up is available.
Note that the terrestrial station is not necessarily a trusted entity or a secure entity from the perspective of the end user who makes the EO request. The terrestrial station can be regarded to be a terrestrial non-user facility. Although eliminating any support from terrestrial stations to EO satellites is not possible, it is desirable if an EO satellite system is self-sufficient to process the EO request from the end user entirely in Space and deliver desired EO data directly to the end user without involving any terrestrial non-user facility. There is a need in the art for such EO satellite system.